Showing posts with label Vegetable. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vegetable. Show all posts

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Americans have a healthy diet, so they say

What would you say about this?
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Posted: 04 January 2011

WASHINGTON - Nine in 10 Americans say their diet is healthy but only a quarter limit the amount of fat or sugar they eat, and two-thirds don't eat enough fruit and vegetables, a poll published Tuesday found.

"Americans tend to give themselves high marks for healthy eating, but when we asked how many sugary drinks, fatty foods, and fruits and veggies they consumed, we found that their definition of healthy eating was questionable," said Nancy Metcalf of Consumer Reports Health, which conducted the poll.

Of the 1,234 American adults polled, 89.7 per cent said their diet was "somewhat" (52.6 per cent), "very" (31.5 per cent), or "extremely" healthy(5.6 per cent.)

But 43 per cent of the survey respondents said they drank at least one sugary soda or other sweetened drink every day, and just one in four said they limited sweets, sugars or fats in their diet, the poll conducted in early November found.

Four in 10 Americans said they ate "pretty much everything" or "mostly everything" that they wanted, the poll found.

Few count calories or weigh themselves, but when they were asked to self-report their weight, four in 10 were off-track.

A third said they were at a healthy weight when they actually had a body mass index (BMI) of an overweight or obese person, while eight per cent thought they were overweight or obese, but their BMIs suggested they were not.

One in three US adults is obese, and losing weight is the second most popular new year's resolution this year after quitting smoking, according to a poll published last week by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.

Three in 10 Americans surveyed by Consumer Reports said they eat five or more servings of fresh fruit or vegetables daily, as recommended by health officials.

When they were asked why they didn't eat more vegetables, the most common reason given by the poll respondents was that they thought they consumed enough already.

The next most commonly cited reason for not eating the recommended amount of veggies was that they are hard to store or spoil too quickly -- an excuse given by 29 per cent of Americans.

Seventeen per cent said someone in their household didn't like vegetables, the same number said vegetables take too long to prepare or are too difficult to prepare, and 14 per cent said fresh vegetables are too expensive.

Thirteen per cent said, quite simply, they don't like vegetables.

- AFP/rl


Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Americans have a healthy diet, so they say



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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Quit smoking - else no use eating fruits

Fruits and vegetables from a farmers market. c...Image via WikipediaThis is a bomber. And it spells out the necessity of the smoker to stop from the root cause rather than employing remedies.

Now isn't that something?
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You're better off quitting smoking than eating tonnes of fruit: Study

Eating fresh fruit and vegetables will not protect you from cancer as they have little effect compared to the negative impact of alcohol and obesity, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Consuming even large quantities of fruit and vegetables will only reduce the risk of cancer by a maximum of 10 per cent.

However, smoking - the single biggest cause of cancer - increases the risk of getting the disease by as much as 50-fold.

Being overweight can increase the risk of common cancers and hard-to-treat forms of the disease such as pancreatic, oesophageal and kidney cancer.

Those who drink more alcohol than the recommended daily limit face an increased risk of mouth, throat, breast, bowel and liver cancers, the study said.


Taken from TODAYOnline.com; source article is below:
You're better off quitting smoking than eating tonnes of fruit: Study


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Monday, September 6, 2010

Fruits, vegetables and cancer

Fruits, vegetables cut cancer risk for smokers: study

Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit: An Illustrated EncyclopediaFruits and Vegetables / Frutas y vegetales (English and Spanish Foundations Series) (Book #10) (Bilingual) (Board Book) (English and Spanish Edition)Heinerman New Encyclopedia of Fruits & Vegetables, Revised & Expanded EditionNutrilite Concentrated Fruits and VegetablesFruits And Vegetables (Rookie Read-About Health)Fit Fruit & Vegetable Wash, Soaker/Refill Bottle, 32-Ounce Units (Pack of 3)Home Vegetable Gardening a Complete and Practical Guide to the Planting and Care of All Vegetables, Fruits and Berries Worth Growing for Home UseWASHINGTON: Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk of some kinds of lung cancer for smokers, according to a study released Monday.

"Although quitting smoking is the most important preventive action in reducing lung cancer risk, consuming a mix of different types of fruit and vegetables may also reduce risk, independent of the amount, especially among smokers," said H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita of the Netherlands-based National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.

The study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, was based on research involving more than 450,000 people in Europe, including 1,600 who were diagnosed with lung cancer.

The researchers said the variety of fruits and vegetables appeared to be more important than the quantity. They studied 14 commonly eaten fruits and 26 vegetables including fresh, canned or dried products.

"Fruits and vegetables contain many different bioactive compounds, and it makes sense to assume that it is important that you not only eat the recommended amounts, but also consume a rich mix of these bioactive compounds by consuming a large variety," Bueno-de-Mesquita said.

The risk of squamous cell carcinoma decreased substantially when a variety of fruits and vegetables were eaten, the study concluded.

While previous research has shown the influence of the quantity of fruits and vegetables on cancer development, Stephen Hecht, editorial board member for Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, said this is one of the first to evaluate diversity of fruit and vegetable consumption, rather than quantity.

"The results are very interesting and demonstrate a protective effect in smokers," he said.

"There are still over a billion smokers in the world, and many are addicted to nicotine and cannot stop in spite of their best efforts," said Hecht, who is a faculty member at the University of Minnesota.

Hecht said that tobacco smoke contains a complex mixture of cancer-causing agents and that a mixture of protective agents is needed to have any beneficial effect in reducing the risk of lung cancer.

"Nevertheless, the public should be made aware and be reminded that the only proven way to reduce your risk for lung cancer is to avoid tobacco in all its forms," he said. - AFP/fa


From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Fruits, vegetables cut cancer risk for smokers: study
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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Being Healthy Through Good Eating Habits

An ear of winter wheat.Image via Wikipedia
The main difference between Eastern and Western diet is that Eastern diet consists mainly of rice or noodles, which is garnished with vegetables and meat, the meat being of poultry, or of fish. That of the West mainly is consisting of meat, which, if not beef, is pork, sandwiched in wheat buns.

Now, wheat has been found to provide growth, mostly physical, while rice simply provides carbohydrates, which is then converted into sugar in the blood, and used up when manual work is done.

Which is why the number of obese people in the West is far more than those in the East.

Furthermore, if an Asian migrates to the West, and if he takes on the Western diet, he also grows fat.

So it is neither genes nor race, but rather, the diet.

i found this article about good eating habits in the Ezine article directory, and interestingly, it is written by a Westerner. Who else would be writing it better, than someone who knows its value?

In this regard, do read on...



Some Ideas about Developing Good Eating Habits

Most everyone knows that good eating habits are essential to good health and well being and while many people seem to ignore this fact, lots of people really do try to eat properly but part of the problem and the main reason a lot of people just don't seem to be able to maintain good eating habits is both misinformation as well as lack of information.

With the vast variety of foods out there and the vast amount of advertising done for many of these foods with oftentimes misleading statements regarding their dietary values it would stand to reason that it is so easy to be guided off track and right into bad food choice territory. Add to the equation the vast amount of diet plans for weight loss as well as the amount of trendy new cookbooks extolling the virtues of the latest fad revolutionary healthy foods to eat and you have a vast array of contradicting information coming at you from all sides!

So what should you do to develop good eating habits? Well, here are some guidelines to follow to get you well on your way to making better, more health minded food choices.

Primary Health Series Health: Food and Nutrition [Grade Level K-6]1) PREPARE YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS

In order to begin you need to prepare yourself mentally. Plan in advance what you will be eating during the week, write it out for yourself, stock up on those foods and make it happen!

2) PROTEIN IS VITAL

Make sure you eat protein in some form at every meal, including breakfast.

3) EAT LESS REFINED BREADS AND STARCHES

Cut back on the amount of bread and pasta you consume. Eat your pasta as your mid-day meal and if you do eat pasta or bread it comes from whole grains.

Grover's Guide to Good Eating (Happy Healthy Monsters)4) LIMIT YOUR DAIRY CONSUMPTION

Drink non-fat milk, eat low fat or fat free cheese and low fat yogurt but check the yogurt, some low fat yogurt has a very high sugar content!

5) DON'T OVERDO THE FRUIT

No more than 2 a day and use just the good fiber kinds. Apples, pears, plums, and berries are best. Avoid fruit juices, they're loaded with sugar!

6) EAT NUTS

Just stay in moderation here. A quarter cup of pistachios, almonds or cashews are not only tasty, but a good source of protein.

Trevor Romain: If you don't take care of your body, where else are you going to live?7) REDUCE THE PORTIONS

When at home, use smaller plates. If you go out, order the smaller size or if one size fits all, get a doggie bag in advance and put half your meal in it before you start to eat. You will fell better and have a good meal to eat again later.

8) DRINK LOTS OF WATER

Water has great dietary and overall health benefits. Many hunger pangs are due to lack of water. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will keep you hydrated and will reduce food cravings.

9) GO MEATLESS FOR A MEAL A DAY

Try eating one meal per day with no meat. For example, have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich rather than a hamburger. You reduce bad fat and increase fiber and protein.

Eating for Good Health (Living Well, Staying Healthy)10) NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST

A proper breakfast gets your metabolism going. Use cereals with at least 5 grams of fiber and no more than 8 grams of sugar and use non-fat milk.

11) EAT MORE SEAFOOD

Eat water packed tuna and salmon; they are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids that help protect the heart. You should have these seafood's 2-3 times per week.

12) BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH

Rather than eating lunch out all the time, make your lunch and only eat out for lunch once a week. You'll save money and know your eating good things like whole grain bread, lean chicken or ham and fruit or veggies.

Overweight Kids: Spiritual, Behavioral and Preventive solutions for : Making good food choices, Nutritional lifetime eating habits, Healthy body Image, Physically actiThe fact is if you use these simple guidelines as a means to put together a plan of good eating habits you will be well on your way to developing them with sound nutrition and you will be paving the way for a life long journey of better health.

Jim O'Neill gives you tons of valuable information on the subjects of weight loss, fitness, and nutrition to make it easy for you to live a healthy lifestyle. Sign up now for his free 7 part mini e-course at: http://www.mrgymfitness.com

Article Directory: EzineArticles



Taken from Ezine directory, with the same title:
Some Ideas about Developing Good Eating Habits
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Monday, April 26, 2010

Fresh or Frozen Veggies?

Original caption from the USDA: "ARS rese...Image via Wikipedia
I like it fresh.

Fruits and vegetables have their vitamins and nutrients still intact, and the juice is just sweet. If you disagree, try carrots, celery and cucumber. Of course, there are those that have bitter and pungent taste, but the point is, even all these, when fresh, have their flesh and juice very crisp and tasty.

So when it comes to eating healthy, what do you choose? Will it be fresh, or frozen?

Many will actually suggest that you grow your own vegetables, but when that is not possible, what will your choice be? What are your options?

Here is one article that briefly discusses the pros and cons of fresh and frozen vegetables. In the past, I would tend to hoard veggies, especially when the population in our community went up, even by just a small fraction, the store where we get our supplies had their shelves empty by around 6pm, just the time that I'm coming out from the office and doing my quick shopping.I later found that we were throwing away rotting veggies, or that we were cooking veggies that are no longer fresh. I stopped hoarding, and bought just the amount we needed - for our good, and for others as well.

Read on...



Fresh Or Frozen Vegetables? - Your Way to Eating Healthy

How many times have you bought fresh veggies from the grocery and only end up throwing it all away because it was already rotten and dry before it could hit your skillet or casserole? The problem with fresh veggies is you need to cook it right away because if you will stock it inside your fridge it could easily get rotten as its shell life is short unlike frozen veggies. You can easily buy them and stored it in your fridge for months without worrying that it will get wasted.

Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices Paperback by N.W. Walter 1978Though the shell life of frozen veggies may take up for some months the taste of it may not be as natural and tasteful compare to fresh vegetables. Frozen vegetables are also healthier and more nutritious compare to fresh veggies. The vegetables, once ripe and ready, they picked it out, packed and sealed it and froze it to keep the nutritional value in store.

But like everything else there are also some advantages and disadvantages when eating frozen veggies over fresh ones. One disadvantage of it is that most of the time people who packed frozen veggies added some sugar or salt to add more taste since it will be frozen and ice will form, the taste may disappear as soon as you start to thaw it. Check the label to make sure that there are no added sugars or salt on the package. The other disadvantage of frozen veggies is that the process of freezing the veggies right from the start has nothing to do with its taste. Though most people find the fresh veggies tastier than the frozen veggies it can only be enhance if you will add some tasty seasoning on it when you cook it.

Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices by Dr. Norman WalkerMost frozen foods are already in bite sized or chopped which made the preparation easier and that is one of the advantages of it. It can be easily cook without the time consuming of chopping, dicing and even peeling off the veggies' skins. To get your family eat frozen veggies, why not try cooking it with some Italian spices and herbs, lemon pepper or with some butter and garlic. You can also try grilling or sauteing it with an olive oil. Experiment a bit when cooking your vegetable dishes so that your family will always be looking forward of eating healthy vegetables.

Francis James Carter enjoys writing about food and eating healthy. He is also interested in Unfinished Wood Furniture. You can read more about Unfinished Wood Furniture on his website at http://unfinishedwoodfurniture.org

Article Directory: EzineArticles



Taken from Ezine article collection with the same title:
Fresh Or Frozen Vegetables? - Your Way to Eating Healthy
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